


Try Again

by GloriaGilbertPatch



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-19 07:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5958412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GloriaGilbertPatch/pseuds/GloriaGilbertPatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike goes to talk to Scottie before she leaves. Set after 3x16.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Try Again

Mike took a deep breath and let his eyes unfocus as he looked through the glass doors at the petite, pretty woman resolutely packing her things behind them. A moment of peace, and then –

He rapped lightly on the door and saw the woman’s face fall briefly as she looked up at him.

“Come in,” she said brusquely, but even Mike was perceptive enough to recognize the stiffness was masking hurt.

“Hi, Scottie. Do you need some help?” he asked quietly, gesturing to the surprising amount of accumulated odds and ends piled on her desk and bookshelves.

“Sure,” she shrugged. “Although given the circumstances, I’m not sure how I feel about letting you call me Scottie.”

“The circumstances?”

“Yes, Mike, the circumstances, by which I mean the fact that you were never actually licensed to practice law and that Harvey’s keeping that a secret means that I just…” She broke off, sighed, and shook her head. “That I just broke it off with a man I’ve loved for fifteen years. So, yeah, I’m a little reluctant to let you use my familiar nickname.”

Mike paused.

“That’s fair,” he answered. “How about I call you Dana Jamieson Scott, then? Registration number 3090572, admitted in New York in 2000, appellate division, third department, next registration August 2014?”

“You know my registration number? I don’t even know that.”

“E-courts, attorney search. I looked you up during the Debeque-Vega merger after you kicked Harvey’s ass.” He paused. “That was a couple years ago, so I guess I’m taking it on faith that you re-registered in August 2012.”

Scottie said nothing, but Mike could feel the tension starting to ease.

“Look, Dana, I’ve repeatedly scored over 175 on the LSAT. I earned a 96 on the MPRE. I’ve taken and passed the New York bar exam. I’ve done all the reading assignments I would have done at Harvard. I was a little clueless about e-courts and filing patents and trademarks, but no less than any of the other first-year associates were.” He ducked his head and worked to keep his voice steady. “I didn’t go to law school, and at this point there’s probably no chance I’d pass the character and fitness tests. But I’m not hurting our clients. That _is_ important to me, even if you don’t believe it.”

“I do; I – and as much as it shocks me, it’s not even so much that you’re practicing without a license; it’s that – ”

“Harvey didn’t tell you.”

“Yes,” she said evenly, holding his gaze.

“He was protecting you. You’re an equity partner, and every fee the firm has accepted on my behalf is technically proceeds from criminal activity.”

“Spare me. I’m a lawyer. I understand the concept of criminal forfeiture. And I’m not pretending that I’m not a little worried about my liability at Pearson Specter, especially given that Louis turned the firm from a partnership into an LLC in all of one day. But this is Harvey. I didn’t want him to protect me. I wanted him to trust me.”

“He loves you.”

“That’s not the same thing, and you know it.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.” Mike reached for an empty cardboard box, walked over to the bookcase, and began piling away Scottie’s books.

“Mike, I worked for Edward Darby for more than a decade. I was probably younger than you are when he took me on. And then he put me at risk to protect his stepdaughter, and he lied to me. I wasn’t happy about the risk, but the lies…” She shook her head. “I can’t work with him. And I…I don’t know if I can ever be with him again.”

“But you love him.”

“God help me.”

Mike chuckled without much humor.

“You know, you don’t actually have to help me pack. I know you just came in here to put in a good word for Harvey.”

“I guess I love him, too. He – well. I didn’t realize when this all started how much he was gonna end up giving up for me. Or how much I wasn’t gonna want him to have to.”

“We all make mistakes,” she said softly.

“Yeah, we do. Dana. He made a mistake, but he’s a good man. I completely understand why you wouldn’t want to give him another shot, but…”

“But, what?”

“I don’t want him giving you up for me, too.”

“It’s not really your call.”

“I am begging you.”

“Let me get this straight. You’re practicing law without a license, which is a crime; you know I know and the thing you’re begging me to do is _not break up with my boyfriend_?”

Mike nodded, and Scottie shook her head with a rueful smile.

“He really does inspire loyalty, doesn’t he?”

“Please.”

“Okay.”

“Oka – wait, really? You’re not going to break up with him?”

“I’m not promising _that_.” She pulled out her cell phone. “But I’m texting him now to ask if he wants to get dinner with me. I’m gonna give him a chance.”

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, well. I do love the guy.”

“Seriously, Dana, I, uh…I really appreciate it. If I’m ever actually in a position to be the one granting favors…” He stuck out his hand, and she shook it with a smile.

“Call me Scottie.”

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously I make no claims to the show Suits or its characters, but I do want to add that Scottie's registration number is used fictitiously. I am not and do not represent a person who was assigned this number. No person named Dana Scott is currently on record as having been registered as an attorney in the State of New York.


End file.
